Recap as armed police close off two streets in Lincoln

Police at the scene on St Rumbold's Street in Lincoln (Image: Elaine Davies)

Armed police have been deployed to two streets in Lincoln.

Lincolnshire Police posted an alert on their website at 4.49pm to let local residents know about the incident.

The police were sent to two streets in the city - St Rumbold’s Street and Rosemary Lane.

Both were closed for the duration of the operation.

Police said the deployment is connected with County Lines - police terminology for an operation in which drugs are taken from a big city to a house in a smaller town in a bid for dealers to expand their market and make more money.

According to police, gangs often recruit susceptible people to move both drugs and cash between areas, and use intimidation tactics to invade vulnerable people’s homes from which they deal their illicit wares.

The post on their website states: "Armed officers are in attendance at an ongoing operation relating to County Lines in the city of Lincoln.

'Police flew out of nowhere'

One witness who saw the police presence said police turned up out of no where.

He said: “They just randomly turned up.

“They came flying from everywhere and blocked off the streets. The streets were closed for a good hour.

“I haven’t seen the police presence this extreme in the area before.”

17:45

The roads have now reopened

That should make it easier for people living in the area.

The road has been closed (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)

17:43

'I saw at least eight armed officers,' says one witness

The incident has happened near the YMCA.

Elaine Davies, our reporter at the scene, has spoken to two people who saw the police arrive at the scene.

One said: “There was a van full of police that turned up and ten vehicles altogether were involved. The shut all the roads off and went inside a property , but I didn’t see them bring anyone out.”

Another said: “I saw at least 8 armed police turn up. They were in a white van. They were waiting at the gate of the property when I came out. It was all peaceful. There were two dogs there as well. It’s unusual - I haven’t seen it here before.”

The YMCA in St Rumbold Street

17:37

200 arrests in national crackdown

The Press Association says more than 200 suspected members of county lines drugs gangs have been arrested in a national crackdown.

There are thought to be around 1,500 of the networks in operation in the UK, which involve urban dealers forcing children to carry drugs to customers in more rural areas, reports Margaret Davis.

They also “cuckoo” the homes of vulnerable or drug-addicted people to use to stash illegal substances.

Dozens of police forces across the UK took part in action last week and 58 victims who had been caught up in the gangs were rescued.

The National Crime Agency said every force in England and Wales has reported some form of county lines activity.

Weapons including a loaded gun, an axe, a meat cleaver, hunting knives and a samurai sword were also recovered, as well as tens of thousands of pounds in cash, and drugs including heroin and crack cocaine.

Those arrested included criminals already serving prison sentences who were charged with involvement in the supply of class A drugs from behind bars.

The new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre, set up in September, is mapping the activities of the gangs, which are mainly based in large cities such as London, Liverpool and Birmingham, but operate all over the country.

They commonly use one phone line - that can make up to £5,000 per day - which drug users ring to order illegal substances.

Sue Southern, county lines lead for the National Crime Agency, said: “Supply gangs are responsible for high levels of violence and the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adults and children, and every territorial police force in England and Wales has now reported some level of county lines activity.

“There are currently hundreds of live county lines investigations across the UK, and this period of intensification highlights the range of co-ordinated activity taking place to identify perpetrators, reduce violence, take away the proceeds of crime and safeguard the vulnerable.

“While these operations will have substantially disrupted numerous county lines, our work is ongoing and we are pursuing all available means of strengthening the national response.”

Police at the scene in Lincoln

Police tweet on the incident

Police in a property on Lincoln street - three police cars at the scene

Elaine Davies, our reporter at the scene, says: “The dog unit is here and armed officers are going into a property next to the Lincolnshire Archive, behind it. It’s on St Rumbolds Street.”

Three police cars are parked outside the property.

Around the side is a car park and three police cars are parked there, she said.

“There’s people standing around outside their homes opposite and people are looking out of windows,” she said.

“It seems quite calm from a police point of view.

“When I got here, they were standing outside the property and some of them have been going in.

“There is one entrance but can’t work out if it’s one property or more. The property is behind a fence. The dog unit are here. So far, I have seen two police officers with guns.”

(Image: Elaine Davies)

17:17

Watch video from the scene

Our Lincolnshire Live reporter has sent a video live from the scene of the armed police incident in Lincoln.

17:07

Police issue statements on County Lines activity around the UK

Two statements have also been issued by the police within the last hour on the police website.

Detective Inspector Nicola Templeman, force lead for county lines, says:

“We are taking the county lines issue very seriously here in Lincolnshire and we made 11 arrests in just the past week. These are based on intelligence that we receive and collate ourselves and we have already seen landmark prosecutions in our county where offenders have received substantial prison sentences for running county lines. We do however investigate all cases sensitively and will always look to avoid criminalising young people who are coerced into this activity under false pretences and then struggle to get away from it. We work with our partners on this who help to ensure that appropriate referrals are made to other agencies when vulnerabilities are realised. We hope that these signs of county lines will help to raise awareness and please do call 101 if you have suspicions.”

Police and trading standards carried out the raid (Image: Getty)

Detective Inspector Carrie Powers is from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit and is the coordinator of police activity against county lines gangs in the region.

She said: “Action against county lines will remain a priority for us and we will continue to gather intelligence and seek enforcement opportunities to support the national picture around this crime.

“A large part of this focus is also to protect those vulnerable people in our communities who are susceptible and easily led into this lifestyle.

“We are continuing to work closely with partners in social care, health, education, housing, immigration and probation to identify incidents with a view to safeguard those involved and encourage reporting of suspected county lines activity.

“But this is not an issue which can be eradicated by the police alone and local communities can play a large part in identifying problem areas and those they think may be at risk.

“Don’t assume others will report their suspicions. Pick up the phone and we’ll do the rest. Even the smallest piece of information could play a large part in protecting someone from this pervasive crime type.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones says:

“I cannot praise the officers involved highly enough. The dedication of Lincolnshire Police officers in tackling significant crimes such as ‘county lines’ and human trafficking is second to none.

“It is crucial that our communities are protected from evils such as this but it is equally as important that those who take drugs casually understand they are directly supporting this criminal behaviour.

“Trafficking, abuse, exploitation and violence are all being supported by people who buy these substances. They are, essentially, funding crime gangs and their despicable activities.”

17:06

National day of arrests

Lincolnshire Police have posted about a series of arrests around the UK today. It is not clear what the connection is with the action taking place in Lincoln.

However, the police website states: “Lincolnshire Police has been carrying out activity in support of a national crackdown on the growing problem of ‘county lines’ drug dealing.”

It goes on to say: “The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) have responded to this emerging threat by creating a National County Lines Coordination Centre to develop the national intelligence picture of the crime type. The centre is also working to prioritise activity against the most serious offenders and engaging with partners to tackle the wider issues.

“To support this work, throughout last week, police executed a number of warrants across the region resulting in 47 arrests, 22 vulnerable people safeguarded and 18 properties linked to this type of offending identified. There was also a quantity of drugs and weapons seized.”

Police are on the scene (Image: Getty)

17:02

The scene where police are deployed

A map showing the streets where police have been deployed in Lincoln (Image: Google)